The Darkness Within
by Angel-Chan
Summary: (Rukato!) Summer-- a time for laughs and jokes... and visiting the Digital World! The tamers can't wait to see their friends again! But... what's with Rika? Why is she acting so... distant? Only time... and a new enemy, will tell.


The Darkness Within 

Prologue: Summer Vacation 

It was the perfect day. 

Outside, the sun beamed brightly, helping the mischievous clouds cast their happy-go-lucky shadows about the ground below. These dark newcomers danced about playfully, molding and mutating into new shapes every so often. Their playground was the earthy hills and fields and streets, all nearly empty of life. The trees were the bearers of many serenading birds; the leaves concealed their feathered friends delightfully, as if teasing the world. Everything seemed so picturesque-- so tempting-- that a wistful onlooker had but one, simple-minded thought: 

'This totally sucks!' 

With a groan and a sigh, the boy rubbed his poor, visor-less head for a moment before slamming it as silently as he could down on his desk. Sitting in an uncomfortable wooden school desk did not help his silent yearnings in the least. He was frickin' BORED! The only thing he wanted to do was get out of the prison-like building that held him hostage for most of the year and release his pent-up energy! Man! School was so-- 

"Mr. Shiota?" 

Crud...! Kazu snapped his head up, hoping to God that his forehead didn't have a red mark from banging it too hard. Whoops! Should've paid attention, eh? He stood meekly, ignoring the stares and giggles from his classmates. To his right he could hear Kenta chortling loudly; he'd pulverize him later.... "Yes, Ms. Isajii?" 

She let out a stalled sigh. What to do...? If she didn't punish him, other children would try to get away with things. But, on the other hand, there were only a couple of days left (she, as a teacher, couldn't wait for the nice, little vacation) and she didn't want to stay any longer than she had to. Well, she could always.... The teacher narrowed her eyes sharply and stated, "The next time I hear you whine or make any other kind of noise... you will be standing in the hall, balancing books on your head and holding two buckets of water. Understood?" 

"Yes, ma'am." 

With that, class returned to normal: Ms Isajii continued her lecture on earthworms and how important they were to the environment, and Kazu kept his eyes glued on the window. 

'I can't take it...!' Kazu raged within his mind. He hated school-- especially when he had to go on a day like today! It took a lot of willpower for him NOT to snort and kick someone (like Kenta) in mild retaliation. Who wanted to learn about worms, anyway? So they lived in the dirt and blah, blah, blah! That was old news-- he'd known about that since he was little! 

It wasn't like he hadn't tried to calm himself down, either. He'd told himself countless times that they only had a few-- two, to be precise-- more days to go. The thing was, he just-- 

"OW!" he hissed quietly as something hit him square in the nose! Oh... geeze.... Did she hear? God, please-- no! He slumped forward slightly as she looked up from her book; her eyes seemed to fall onto him for a moment... before returning to her 'earthworms-are-good-for-the-dirt' speech. 

SAFE! 

Before finding the time to celebrate silently, Kazu turned to glare at the object thrown: a wad of paper. Who...? Did someone actually want to see him get in trouble?! He searched the class in order to find the culprit... who was nervously waving in a silent apology. 

Takato grinned weakly. He hadn't meant to hit him in the face...! Honest! But, he had to admit... it WAS kinda funny. Pointing to the paper, he mouthed 'read it' just as Ms. Isajii began writing seemingly-important notes on the board. The things he did to make his plans known...! The boy wasn't exactly what you would probably call a 'daredevil'... although he'd been close to death many times throughout this past year. Perhaps the small chances in life didn't scare him as much as they used to. 

It's strange how certain events can change a person.... 

Grumbling about ungrateful friends and whatnot, Kazu snatched up the paper. Dang...! It wasn't really that big, was it? What'd Chumly do, write super small?! Oh, well. No complaining, right? It was time to unleash his master skills! Coughing as believably as he could, the brown haired boy un-crinkled the mini note; then, he glanced up to make sure the teacher was still writing. Yep, he'd had a lot of practice! Once it was safe, he peered at the paper. It read: 

'Meeting at park. Big surprise! Be there after school. Tell Kenta.' 

O... kay. What on Earth did Takato want? What was so important that they had to meet directly after school?! I mean, he had PLANS, for goodness sake! Why the heck did he have to change them for some simple-- stupid, even-- meeting? Peeved, Kazu scribbled down 'WHY?!' before rocketing it toward a certain boy's goggle-less head. And.... 

"Ouch...!" 

Direct hit!! 

The heck...? Takato rubbed the back of his head gingerly, wincing as Ms. Isajii turned slightly. Man... he was gonna get scolded, huh...? Crap.... He got himself ready to stand up... just as she turned her attention back to the chalk board. 

The brown haired boy blinked, mouth open in a confused gape. Wha...? Oh, geeze... he was SO lucky! Heaving a sigh of relief, the boy turned to stare at Kazu for a second; his friend merely smiled wickedly and pointed to the note-ball on the floor. Great...! Kazu couldn't help but complain or ask questions, could he?! Rolling his crimson eyes, Takato bent forward gently in hopes of reaching said note. 

It was too far away. 

'Shoot!' he thought, snapping his head toward the teacher for a moment. Good... she was still preoccupied at the board. Alright... the timing had to be perfect...! Turning back to the note-- wait. What note? NO! The note was gone! Just as the poor boy was about to have a heart attack, someone shoved their hand in his face... with the paper wad in their hand. Whispered he, "Tha--" 

Jeri smiled sweetly at him, head tilted to one side. "Here," she breathed lightly. Oh, she so hoped Takato didn't mind the small fact that she'd read it before giving it back...! That's what she gets for letting her curiosity get the better of her! For shame...! 

Darnit...! A blush formed on his face, and he almost squeaked! 'Calm down, Matsuki!' he coached. 'You've known her for how long now?' I mean, really! He'd been getting used to her being around a lot more! Still... there was that time after the whole digital world thing.... But that wasn't even her! How was he supposed to know that the real Jeri had been taken away?! Shaking his head meekly, he took the note and nodded a quick thanks. Life was confusing... and he really didn't feel like screwing with it right then. 

When he opened the note, he didn't see one reply.... There were two. The one from Kazu he expected-- after all, Kazu probably wanted to play all day. The other one, however.... 

'Weren't you going to tell me? If so-- I'll be there.' 

Heh... Jeri. Of course he was gonna tell her! However, this made things a LOT easier! Now... he needed a reply for the obnoxious Kazu. Tearing another piece of paper out of his notebook (while trying to be as quiet as he could), Takato jotted down 'Let's just say... you'll like what you see and hear.' His reply was put on hold; Ms. Isajii decided she wanted to ask questions out loud. About ten questions later (he had to give an answer to 'what are the main differences between earth worms and flat worms?') the goggle-head found himself, wad of paper in hand, checking to see whether or not Kazu was paying any attention to the rest of the room. From the looks of it... he wasn't. 

Heh... it was payback time! 

~*~ 

"I can't believe you got me in trouble, Chumly!" 

Takato chuckled and rubbed the back of his head embarrassedly. Okay... so maybe he'd gone a little too far? Well, throwing it straight for the eye was a little extreme... wasn't it? "I said I was sorry!" he apologized for the fiftieth time. No matter how much he wanted to get back at Kazu, he still felt bad. I guess it was just in his nature. Darn his kindness! 

Well, now... what was so important...? Henry leaned against the nearest tree, watching a butterfly flap steadily past him. It fluttered about his nose for a moment, then faded off into the distance. Glancing around the group, the boy noticed that they were missing a few members of their little... er, 'posse.' Questioned he, "Hey, Takato? Didn't you invite the others?" 

Eh? What was he...? Confusion overtook the boy for about a second; then, it finally dawned on him. "You mean Rika...?" he started. True-- why hadn't he called her? He'd had the idea for a while, but was too busy to call a meeting... until now, anyway. Perhaps... it was the lack in communication? The redhead didn't exactly go to the same school as the rest of them (excluding Ryo, Mako, and Ai)! A gulp; his mouth felt dry. Laughing weakly, the boy stammered out a small, "I... I guess it slipped my mind!" before praying to God that Rika was in a good mood the next time he talked to her. Noticing the restlessness in some of his companions, he decided that it was time to start the meeting. 

"I suppose... you're all wondering why I begged you guys to come here." A few nods; Kazu glared menacingly. Well, now...! Chuckling uneasily at all the attention he was receiving, Takato continued: "Um, first of all... do any of you have plans this summer? You know, vacations or something?" 

Kenta shook his head and sighed inwardly. Nope... his family was just plain boring. It was depressing, really. Plans were made... but they were never carried out. Heh... going to the movies was an adventure to him at times! 

"Does camping count?" Kazu asked loudly. Yes, he had plans! He wasn't about to let all of the camping equipment his parents bought for him go to waste! This summer was going to be ONE BIG camping trip! 

"He's talking about things you do with family and friends," Kenta retorted. His friend scowled and clenched his fists, obviously embarrassed; the rest of the group laughed lightly. Somehow, those two could always find ways to make the air seem... less tense. 

I suppose every group needed someone to be the 'comic relief'-- it just so happened that there were two people who fit that category in this particular party. 

Oh... well, she had hoped to spend some time with her stepmother and brother, but.... "Not really," Jeri finally murmured, trailing her eyes to the ground and bringing her knees to her chin. It wasn't that important.... After all, she DID live in the same house as they did; she saw them practically every day! Taking in a gentle breath of air, she allowed her eyes to trail out... to a lone, white flower. It was to pretty... but alone-- abandoned. W-was that her? Was she that small, lonely flower...? 'I... I don't wanna be alone....' 

A chuckle escaped his lips; silently, Henry bent down and picked the small flower at his feet-- the very one that had stirred Jeri's thoughts. He stated, "I... don't have any plans." In reality... he didn't want to spend countless hours at home with his father. Not after what he'd done... even if it had been a while ago. Some things were hard to forget. Smiling kindly, he bent over and gave the tiny plant to the one who had been captivated by its beauty. Jeri blushed, accepted the flower with a meek, "Thanks," and found the courage to smile in return. 

Wha...?! What was THAT all about? Rage seemed to boil within Takato as he studied the scene being played out before him. Confusion and anger seeped through his veins. Why did Henry...? Ooh...! Didn't he know how poor, shy Takato felt about her?! But... the way Jeri responded.... The goggle-boy jammed his eyes shut and shook his head, clearly in a pitiful state of denial. No, no. Things weren't always as they seemed! I-it was just a friendly gesture.... Yeah, that's right! He... he still had a chance! ...at least, that was what he would keep telling himself. Feeling somewhat deflated, Takato attempted to spark a grin-- although it now seemed fake and lifeless. 

Exclaimed he: "That's great!" Bitting his lip slightly, the boy let out a chortle; he just had to push those thoughts aside until later, right? Couldn't act depressed when he was about to tell his friends some GREAT news! The boy nodded enthusiastically. Time to get on with it! Clearing his throat rather loudly, he motioned for everyone to follow him. "Okay. Since you guys don't have any big plans--" there was a forced cough from Kazu "-- perhaps you'll want to take me up on my offer!" As he spoke, he led them all up the stone stairs that led to-- you guessed it-- Guilmon's old hideout! 

A quizzical expression slowly appeared on his blue haired companion's face. Just... what kind of an offer was he making...? It wasn't like any of them could afford to go on a trip to some faraway place! He sighed and scratched his cheek thoughtfully. Then again, Takato probably wasn't planning on something of that caliber. "What, exactly," Henry muttered, "do you have planned, Takato?" Eyes focused on the small building before him, the boy instantly lowered his head somberly. ...why here? This place was full of so many memories.... There was a faint pang of sadness in his heart as an annoying laughed echoed through his mind-- one that he'd not heard in a long time. How... could he miss one creature so much? 

Even he, the group's so-called 'brainiac,' could not find the answer. 

Chuckling softly at nothing in particular, Takato merely whispered, "You'll see...," and opened the slightly-rusted gate. What would they do...? How... how would they react? His eyes gleamed excitedly; he'd find out soon...! Without making so much as a sound, he led the group into the room. The boy spun to face his friends, studying each one for a short second, before shattering the forced silence: 

"Do you guys remember... what Guilmon had found in here before?" 

The memories subsided for a moment; Kazu jumped up and down, waving his hand like it was on fire. "Oh, oh! I know!" he yelped. "It was a digital whozamawhatsit!" 

The goggle-head laughed uneasily while Kenta popped off his glasses and shot a fierce fisheye toward the idiot. Did Kazu actually TRY to look like a fool?! ...wait, don't answer that. After giving his specks a quick buff-- gotta be able to see, ya know!-- he muttered, "...go lie down-- before you hurt yourself." 

No matter how nice or funny certain boys were, one thing always remained the same: boys would be boys! Jeri nodded and, eyebrows furrowed in confusion, stepped forward before the two boys decided to brawl. "I remember it... but what does that have to do with anything, Takato?" 

"Well...," the boy started, dragging out the conclusion in hopes of having someone figure it out before he-- 

A gasp; Henry rasped something that sounded similar to, "No way...!" as he stared at his goggle-headed friend with a look of complete and utter awe planted on his face. It couldn't... it couldn't be true! The shock was a bright as day on the blue haired boy's face as he rushed forward to get a better view of the hole in the center of the tiny structure. Warmth filled his soul as tears began to form in his eyes. Announced he: 

"It... it's still here!" 

~*~ 

An hour of plotting had gone by before the children were prepared to set their unique plan into motion. Kenta was thrilled, to say the least; he claimed that going back to the digital world would be even better than going on a trip to Disney Land! In need of camping equipment? Kazu was well prepared in that area! In fact, he was no longer complaining about the fact that Takato had made him miss his 'perfect' day! Jeri was a little upset.... Mr. Leomon was gone, but she could still meet up with Calumon again, right? Nothing but amazement could be inferred from Henry's face; who knew he had missed the little bunny so much?! 

And now.... 

"We have to tell the others." 

Huh...? Takato, somewhat preoccupied with a meek conversation with Jeri, turned to the speaker: Henry. The boy laughed weakly and clapped his hands together. Like he'd forget! If Rika heard that they went to the digital world without her, she'd-- erhm... perhaps it'd be best if he DIDN'T think of that at the moment! A drop of sweat rolled down his cheek. "I know we have to tell Rika-- I'll go see her tomorrow or something." 

Oh, geeze...! Didn't take him long to forget, did it? Crossing his arms in slight annoyance, Henry decided to inform him of the 'others': "You DO remember Ryo, Mako, Ai... and my sister-- don't you?" Who knew Takato was that dense?! Someone couldn't just forget about the people who fought beside them in a battle! Well... Susie, Mako, Ai didn't actually fight... but still! They were tamers who probably wanted to see their partners! 

What did he...? Takato's eyes widened in realization as images of the others filled his mind. Oh, yeah! "I-I guess I forgot!" A stalled laughed escaped his lips; the boy scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I suppose... we'll have to go tell everyone!" he replied embarrassedly. Again, he'd been too exited about the upcoming break...! Okay... so maybe he shouldn't be blaming his forgetfulness on something like that.... "But who should--" 

"I volunteer myself to go tell Ryo!!!" bellowed a now-hyper Kazu, bouncing and grinning like a maniac. How cool would it be to actually meet Ryo Akiyama at his home?! I mean, just think of the things that guy probably had! Heh... yes, he was a very obsessed boy...! 

Not fair! Kenta harshly whacked his overly excited friend's visor so that it fell down over his eyes. A menacing glare was sent his way by said friend, but it was ignored. His reason? All he did was state, "You aren't going without me!" No way was he gonna see the legendary tamer without him! Sure, they knew him... but it had been a while since their last meeting! 

Dang-- he had plans, didn't he...? Stupid family get-togethers.... It wasn't like they NEEDED to have relatives visit every other month! "Um, I'm kinda busy tomorrow," Henry grumbled. Well... he could help out a little, eh? "I'll tell Susie-- and my fa... parents." Better to tell them both, right? I mean, why put up with a ballistic father when he could have his kind, considering mother there, too? 

Mako and Ai were just little kids, right? Twins, too! The girl clasped her hands together dreamily. Oh, how she loved children! They were probably little angels! Giggles erupted from within her as she imagined her encounter with the children. Shaking the thoughts aside, Jeri finally suggested that she could go visit the young tamers. Takato, as usual, commented on her ability to get along with children and agreed with her idea. Jeri ginned widely and shugged. "Well... Calumon gave me a lot of practice, I suppose!" she jested. 

Let's see... Kazu and Kenta were going to tell Ryo; Henry would talk to his sister; Jeri wanted to tell Mako and Ai; and Takato.... 

"Well, well, well!" Kazu drawled slyly. Heheh... Chumly was in for it now! "Guess that leaves Rika for good ol' Takato! Let's hope she's in a good mood!" The boy exploded with boisterous laughter as his friend suddenly paled at the thought of an angry Rika. It was just priceless! 

Man, how lucky was he...?! Takato laughed timidly and stammered out, "Erm... heh-- yeah, I guess so...." It wasn't that he didn't like Rika-- she was one of his closest friends! It was just that... well, she was a little stubborn at times (and she had a short temper!). Let's just say that... one time, she nearly murdered him when she found out that he had put a heart on the message for her mother (hey, she wasn't there at the time-- he hadn't known what to do!)! The boy smiled at the memory; he could still see her narrowed brows and flushed face.... She was scary, yes... but it made her look... cute. 

Wait a sec-- what was that?! What in the world was he thinking?! Takato shook his head fervently and was half tempted to smack himself in the face a few times. Jeri was the one he liked-- not Rika! Rika was just... a really good friend. Right...? After that confusing little thought, the brown haired boy chuckled hoarsely and stated, "It's getting late, you guys." 

Everyone-- except Kazu, of course-- nodded tiredly and said their goodbyes. Tomorrow held many things in store for the tamers. Soon... soon a brand ne adventure would begin. One that made each child long for the end of school even more. Once more would they see their partners... their friends. 

"H-Hey, Jeri? Could... could I walk you home?" 

"Sure, Takato!" She let out a flowery giggle. "Henry, wanna tag along?" 

The blue haired brainiac shrugged and grinned. "I don't see why not!" 

Takato grumbled to himself quietly as the THREE of them walked down the sidewalk. Once again... his own meager attempt had been shot down...! 

'Oh, well.... There'll always be a next time...!' 

At least... he hoped! 

~*~ 

A/N: Konnichiwa, minna-chaaaaaan!! *sees angry reviewers* ...eep!! *uses an umbrella to shield herself from the evil glares, while muttering 'yareyare'* Ano... gomen!!! I didn't mean to disappear like that! Life got in the way... along with a dreaded COMPUTER VIRUS!!!! It killed all of my htmls!!! *sobs* I lost a lost of old stories I had saved over the years...! 

Anyway, this is my latest story idea!! I have it planned out, so I don't really think I need any suggestions. I have a feeling it will last about ten chapters or so, 'cause it's not that long! *grins* I have a few pictures I drew for it, as well as a sample manga (in Japanese, to boot!) that I have been working on! If someone wants to see it, ask in either a review or email. 

I will be adding updates to a variety of things all this week, seeing as I will be gone from Friday morning to Sunday night. (Whoo-hoo! Band trip! *toots clarinet*) So... I will be at Virginia Beach/ Busch Gardens this coming weekend. *dances* THE BEACH!!! *gets hit upside the head by sister... who is also going* Thanks.... If yo wish to be on my mailing list, tell me! I will be able to tell you when I update! 

*pops some chocolate in her mouth* Gotta go type some more!!! PLEASE REVIEW!!!!! *gives puppy eyes*-- Angel-Chan 


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